Emily Sparks (Alyssa)

" Emily Sparks"
Read by Alyssa
Photo by Makis Siderakis
"Shadows of Love"


“I am Emily Sparks. A teacher, an old maid, and a virgin heart.” (Masters 18).

Emily Sparks is a depressed, lonely, and worried person because day and night she is

wondering about her boy, Reuben. She is always wondering about him because she does

not know what part of the world he is in and what he is doing with his life. She wants to

make sure he is okay and make sure he is not alone or hurt in anyway.

WHERE is my boy, my boy---

In what far part of the world?

The boy I loved best of all in the school?---

I, the teacher, the old maid, the virgin heart,

Who made them all my children? (Masters 18)

Although Emily Sparks is an unmarried woman she is very kind towards her

other children in class. She treats them the same as if they were Reuben. She just has a

very special connection with him. Maybe its love or maybe it’s an affair that Emily is

having with Reuben. After reading the Spoon River Anthology I am not for sure about

Emily and Reuben’s relationship. In the poem Emily talks about how she misses him and

how she writes and prays to him every night, but I still do not know if they are for sure in

Everyday Emily Sparks has to live without her boy, Reuben Pantier. She is

always worried about him and wondering what he is doing with his life and if he is okay.

Sometimes I can tell by reading the Anthology that Emily has very close feelings for her

Oh, boy, boy, for whom I prayed and prayed

In many a watchful hour at night,

Do you remember the letter I wrote you

Of the beautiful love of Christ? (18)

Just by reading this small part of the whole poem I can tell that Emily really cares about

Reuben and wants to make sure that he is always under her wing although they are very

Due to the fact that Emily Sparks cares for her students, she uses her religious

aspects to pray for boy, but the only reason why is because she cares about him. Every

night Emily uses one hour at night to pray for Reuben Pantier because she loves him. To

her it does not matter if she is a virgin, unmarried, or an old maid she is still going to

what is right for the person she loves. Is it an affair? Or is it love? I can not tell which it

is because Emily loves him with all her heart, but he was one of her students in class.

What is the relationship between the two?

Work Cited
Masters Edgar Lee. "Emily Sparks." Spoon river anthology. New York: Macmillan, 1946. 18.